Will Future Aston Martins Be Powered By Monstrous V12s?

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The future looks bleak for the British automaker.

Another day and another automaker may be forced to downsize its supercar’s glorious engines to meet emissions. In a recent interview with Road & Track, Aston Martin's chief program engineer John Caress discussed the automaker’s relationship with AMG and the future of its wonderful V12 engine. Caress was quick to point out that Aston Martin still has complete control over its vehicle’s engine. “We’re in control of the engine calibration,” Caress stated. “It’s not a collaboration. It’s not a joint venture. We’re not doing any cars together.”

So that immediately rules out an Aston Martin with the beating heart of an AMG motor any time soon, but also points to the useful points between the relationship. Aston Martin gets V8 engine development, electrical architecture and gear boxes from AMG, but more importantly gives the British automaker access to a vast amount of resources used by Mercedes-Benz’s tuning company. In return, AMG gets some useful knowledge as well. “They get to understand how a small-volume sport-car manufacturer works,” stated Caress. While both companies are getting useful resources from the collaboration, it’s centered around V8 engines while Aston Martin is renowned for its 12-year-old V12.

According to Aston Martin’s brand communications manager Matthew Clarke, the automaker plans to keep its V12 for a while. “We’re going to keep our V12 as long as we possibly can,” said Clarke. Instead of cutting down the number of cylinders in its supercar’s engine, the automaker plans to introduce a zero emissions car with the RapidE—an all-electric version of its sedan—and the DBX—an all-electric version of its V12 coupe. Aston Martin keeping its glorious V12 alive for as long as possible is great news. “We like the V12,” stated Clarke. And we have to agree, the V12 is what makes an Aston an Aston.